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Revolution-Red Bulls Preview

Sep 17, 2009 - 4:53 PM By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO STATS Writer

New England (9-8-6) at New York (4-17-4), 7:30 p.m. EDT

Just three weeks ago, the New England Revolution appeared to be a serious contender for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Consecutive defeats have since dropped them out of playoff position, but a meeting with the MLS-worst New York Red Bulls might help.

The Revolution try continue their dominance over the Red Bulls as they look to regain a wild-card position Friday night.

New England (9-8-6) won its season-high third straight Aug. 29, the club's fifth victory in seven games as it began a push for the top spot in the East after falling well behind during a 2-5-4 stretch.

The positive momentum didn't last, as the Revs fell 4-2 at home to Kansas City on Sept. 5 and 2-0 on the road to Chivas USA on Sunday.

The defeats have dropped New England into 11th place in the playoff race, three points back of Colorado, Chivas and D.C., which are tied for the last three wild-card spots.

"You know, at this point, it's just about wins," midfielder Jeff Larentowicz said. "Even if we had won last week, we wouldn't really be thinking about our last game, so it's all about the game at hand and we just need wins. So, this is a game that we should win, and we hope to win, and we need to win."

The Revs went 7-0-5 in their last 12 meetings with New York, which has a league-low 16 points. New England has outscored its conference rival 19-8 during the unbeaten streak.

The Revs took the last matchup 4-0 at Giants Stadium on June 7.

"It's always going to be a tough battle against New York," defender Darrius Barnes said. "They have good players, but we just have to go in there and know that we need these three points and that this is a must-win for us, and this is how everybody is approaching this game, that we need go into New York and take these three points away from them."

The Revolution should get a major boost Friday from the return of Shalrie Joseph, who served a one-game suspension during the Chivas matchup after being issued a red card in the previous game.

The defensive midfielder, who has also seen time at forward due to injuries, is having an outstanding season. He has matched his career high in goals with six while setting a career best with eight assists.

The Red Bulls are looking to rebound from Saturday's 1-0 loss to Kansas City. New York had won two straight following the resignation of coach Juan Carlos Osorio on Aug. 22.

"Right now we don't have a chance to make the playoffs, but we still have to play like we're reaching for something," goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul said. "Our next season starts now. We cannot just let the games go because we need to play for our pride, for our family, for the fans who are going to come through rough times and easy times."

New York may be without Juan Pablo Angel for a second consecutive game. The forward, who leads the Bulls with nine goals, is questionable with a right ankle sprain.